Bad Bunny punctuated his astounding global music career with an exclamation point, continuing to live out his childhood dreams by once again becoming part of the WWE Universe.  During the WWE’s first show in Puerto Rico in more than 18 years, the 2023 Backlash pay-per-view streamed on Peacock and had something for everybody.

Backlash was live from San Juan at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico Jose Miguel Agrelot in front of over 17,000 people, and this wrestling crowd was hot. It turned out to be one of the best in recent memory, which amped up the action even more with their involvement in all the matches through: vocal chants, singing, rooting for those they love, or booing those on their hit list. The sound was deafening and through the roof.  The introduction to the entire live-streamed event featured a narration from San Benito, himself.

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Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest

This marked Benito’s return to action in the WWE, fresh off headlining Coachella just a few weeks ago.  Previously, the music superstar appeared at the Royal Rumble, and in a tag team match at Wrestlemania in 2021.  Now, in what should have been the main event of the night (it was billed as part of a ‘Double Main Event” but went on third from last), Bunny would go up against his former friend and wrestling mentor, Judgement Day’s Damian Priest, also from Puerto Rico in a San Juan Street Fight Match.  This moment would mark San Benito’s first solo match and he more than lived up to the challenge.

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Tell us what other Grammy Award-winning artist would even dare to do this? Bad Bunny and his match was a showstopper. During his entrance to his music, San Benito came to the ring prepared with a shopping cart full of bats, sticks, folding chairs and chains.  As the match wore on, Bad Bunny astounded the crowd with his high-flying maneuvers, ability to take bumps through a table, no less, and his sheer in-ring talent.

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Towards the end of the street fight (and so Bunny and Priest got a bit of break from beating each other to smithereens), came the runs-in. Judgement Days’s hated Dominik Mysterio and Finn Balor began their interference against Bunny only to be stopped by the LWO (Latino World Order) with Rey Mysterio Jr. and none other than Carlito … apple and all!  After Rey and Carlito cleared the ring, Dominik and Finn ran into Savio Vega on their way to the back, who leveled both of them out for good measure.

Back to the match, after hammering away at Priest’s leg, Bad Bunny put him in a figure-four before following it up with his signature move, “the Bunny Destroyer.”  In the end it was celebration time in San Juan as Bunny and the LWO celebrated his victory in the ring,

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Bianca Belair vs. Iyo Sky

Current WWE Raw’s women champion Bianca Belair and her challenger, Iyo Sky, put on a ‘match of the year’ candidate in the opening bout of Backlash.  The red-hot crowd was clearly rooting on Sky, not the babyfaced, Belair. This played throughout the entire match as Sky took to the ‘skies’ numerous times showing her sheer athleticism, while Belair reminded us all of her insane power by lifting Iyo with one arm over her head. It seemed no matter how impressive Belair was, Sky had the crowed with her, and the champ was booed. Belair then tried to play into that by becoming a bit more of the aggressor for this match. When interference from Sky’s partners arrived in Damage CTRL (Bayley and Dakota Kai), it ultimately did not work. Bianca ultimately got the victory becoming the longest-reigning Raw champion in women’s division history. Now that Bianca is headed next week to the blue brand and Smackdown, will the creative team decide to have her turn heel after the reaction she received in San Juan? Stay tuned.

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Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar

The final match of the night and part two of the billed “Double Main Event” featured ‘The American Nightmare’ and Cody Rhodes against the ‘Beast Incarnate,’ Brock Lesnar in a feud that has yet to be explained as to why it’s happening in the first place.  Why did Lesnar turn on Rhodes several weeks ago when they were about to be tag partners in a redemption match following Wrestlemania 39 against Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa, and beat the crap out of him? If you thought you would get the answer at Backlash, you were wrong.  Instead, we got a head-scratching ending.

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Rhodes went on the attack to beat down Lesnar before the bell rang as retribution for the vicious attack he received from Brock week’s ago. When the bell did ring, the superstars went at it for awhile, with Cody hitting his signature moves the ‘Cody Cutter’ and the “Cross Rhodes” and Brock selling it all.  When Lesnar was thrown across the ring, his head hit an exposed turnbuckle, and he quickly became a bloody mess.  Rhodes wiped some of Lesnar’s blood on his chest for good measure and the match continued.

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However, because Lesnar was bleeding badly that had to be an unexpected turning point and it seemed like a quick finish was called. When Lesnar locked in the Kimura, all of a sudden, Rhodes rolled him over into a pin to get a quick victory.  Next, the entire pay-per-view ended with Rhodes retreating to the aisle to head to the back, while Lesnar is left in the ring bleeding.  In a video that surfaced after the match, Lesnar received a standing ovation from the crowd for several minutes to chants of ‘suplex city’.  This was a very odd and messy ending to an unexplained feud.

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Rhea Ripley vs. Zelina Vega

In the emotional highlight of the night, Zelina Vega who hails from Queens, New York but is of Puerto Rican descent, challenged WWE Smackdown women’s champion, Rhea Ripley.  This was to be Ripley’s first title defense since Wrestlemania 39 when she won the belt from Charlotte Flair.

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When Vega made her entrance, she was draped in the Puerto Rican flag and her ring entire was the colors of the flag, as well. Vega’s family was also at ringside including her mother, stepfather and brother. When she was introduced and with the crowd was firmly behind her, Zelina was visibly overcome and moved to tears, making this a real-life moment that elevated Backlash 2023 even further.  WWE announcer, Michael Cole also revealed that Vega was dedicating this match to her late father, making this all the more hankie-inducing.

Ripley was dominating in the ring, and though Vega put on a good show and tried her best, the ‘Eradicator’ proved to be too much for her. The champ scored the pinfall. Afterwards, and alone in the ring, Zelina had one more heart-tugging moment when she was saluted by the fans before making her exit.

In other key moments and match-ups:

When the Usos and Solo Sikoa faced Matt Riddle, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, the breakdown of the ‘Bloodline’ continued, setting up trouble ahead between brothers, Jey Uso and Sikoa. Despite the tensions, Solo pinned Riddle for the victory.

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Seth “Freakin’ Rollins defeated the giant Omos with a massive stomp from the top rope.  Austin Theory retained his United States Championship over Bobby Lashley and Bronson Reed, with a clever finisher, taking advantage of Reed’s botched jump off the top rope, throwing Lashley out of the ring, and then securing the pin over Reed.

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So, what did you think of the matches at WWE Backlash 2023? What was your favorite moment? What was disappointing? Let us know in the comment section and check out some of the highlights from the night below.